Sen. Chuck Grassley is absolutely right in his response to the Justice Department’s opinion that essentially shuts down information requests from Democrats. Such a partisan response, he says, “decreases transparency and diminishes the crucial role of the American people’s elected representatives.”

I ask the senator to use this same logic in other areas. For example, allow Democrats input into the American Health Care Act, which is now being debated in private by a Republican-only committee. No Democrats and no transparency. (In contrast, Sen. Grassley, then a member of the minority party, was an active member of the Obamacare discussion, even though he ultimately voted against a bill he helped write.)

Likewise, I ask for consistency in the senator’s reaction to leaks. He applauds the person who provided information that shows that wait times at Veterans Affairs clinics were far longer than reported, while he denigrates anybody who leaks any information regarding the Trump White House's ties to Russia or to its internal dysfunction.

Partisan responses are destroying our democracy. It is time for Sen. Grassley to remember "the crucial role of the American people’s elected representatives.” Be a leader of all Americans, senator, no matter their party affiliation, and encourage transparency in all areas of government.